The Collinsport Chronicles XXVIII: Children's hour
by Maryland Rose
Summary: Barnabas learns more about his kind, as his desire to help Vicky leads him to an old friend of Sigmund Freud, and his unusual patients: Vampire children...
1. Chapter 1

CHILDREN'S HOUR

Liz became a vampire to escape death, but did not count on her cancer continuing to live within her. Too weak from pain, she attacked children, and a very pregnant Vicky. She is now teneded by her family, with the understanding that she will have to be put out of her misery soon. In the meantime, Barnabas is trying to find an answer to Vicky's fears as to her baby due to Liz's attack

* * *

Chapter 1

Urien looked down upstairs "Hello" he said hurriedly to Barnabas.

Barnabas smiled indulgently at him. He was finally behaving like a normal teenager. He was also trying to find himself sexually (to put it euphemistically).

And, Barnabas reflected it as time he was told something about it.

"Urien" he called "will you please come down?"

Urien did, jumping the steps two at a time.

"Careful there" Barnabas admonished him. "You may trip on one of the cats."

"You are right." Urien acknowledged "These cats have a way of getting themselves underfoot."

"They may think that you are the one who keeps getting in the way." Barnabas was philosophical "Well, there are a few things that I'd like to discuss with you."

"About what?"

"About they way you are spending your free time."

"What about it?"

"I know that you have been going out with girls. No, it is all right. But there are a couple of things you should realize."

"Like what?"

"I..." Barnabas was a bit embarrassed "I don't know how far you have gone Given the times, it would not surprise me if you had not gone all the way, at least one."

"Well... not yet." Urien acknowledged "but next time... She's ready to put out."

Barnabas did not like the tone of his voice as he said that, but since that was going to be the second part of the lecture, he let it pass "I hope that you are aware that women do get pregnant. If you want to experience the joys of heterosexuality, you should know about birth control. Most methods are used by the women themselves, because it is their risk. But that does not mean that you should not do your part." he took out a box of condoms, that he had gotten out of Jessica King. " these are very effective. Also they keep VD from spreading. Because if you come down with VD I'll take you down tot he clinic and let Dr. Jessica King lecture you. And if you think that my lectures are bad you should listen to her on the subject."

Urien took the box gingerly. "I don't like wearing these. Don't feel the same."

"They are better than paternity suits."

Urien shrugged "She won't be able to pin it on me. I can arrange for that."

"And that's the second part of the lecture." Barnabas sighed deeply, letting Urien know that the serious lecture was about to begin.. He did his best to look contrite. Barnabas saw this and laughed.

"Urien I understand what you went through. For you, sex was just part of being exploited. I know what that kind of thing can do to a human being" memories of Angelique's fury came to him. " I know how it makes you angry to think about it. How you think that someone owes you for it. It is natural to feel that way. But..." he paused for effect, wondering if Urien would add anything of his own. Urien didn't.

"But that does not give you the right to exploit others."

"I don't" Urien protested.

"The way I heard you talk about this girl, you were planning to exploit her."

"But that's different. She.. she's..."

"She's just a girl? Just as I said of Angelique, just a servant girl...it did not work so well for me."

"But she is no witch."

"No, but she can find other ways to find justice for herself if you abuse her. And I will uphold her."

"She's just a girl."

"And you are just a hustler. And I am just a bloodsucker, and George is just a cop... She is a human being, just as you are."

"She... she.."

"She is a human being, just as you are. She needs the same things other human beings do. Some understanding, some respect, some knowledge of her own worth. The same things you desperately needed all those years."

"But it is different with girls!"

"It is not." Barnabas said evenly "I know why you insist that it is. It was a way of keeping some self-respect when you were walking the streets. You knew that there was someone lower than you in the scale, and that made it better. Maybe you had dreams of becoming a pimp one day."

There was a dark blush in Urien's face. "How did you know?"

"It is not so difficult to figure out. You lived in a world where kindness was an alien concept. Where no one ever did anything for no one. Where you did unto others before they did unto you. You are no longer in that world, but old habits die had. It took you a while to value yourself. It might take you longer to value others. I should know." But now Urien was getting impatient and he did not blame him "I am speaking from my own experience. I don't accuse you of anything that I have not done myself, ten times over. If you want to, I'll recite my tragic mistakes to you. All I ask is that you benefit from my experience."

"Yeah." Urien said, not convinced, but not willing to argue over it.

"Well, enough of a lecture for today. Just remember what I told you. And don't forget this." he handed Urien the condoms that he had abandoned on the table. "that's the part of the lecture I insist on. No sex, with anyone, without these."

* * *

"So this is my grandson" Liz managed to smile amiably at Edmund "how are you doing, young man?"

Edmund was a bit uncomfortable. He knew that there was something odd about the situation. He sensed the tension in Carolyn, even if she tried to disguise it.

"I am all right, ma'am." he said, politely enough.

"Don't call me ma'am. Call me granny." Liz pleaded with him.

"All right. ma... granny." Edmund said with formality.

"Not very demonstrative, are you? But then, no one told you that you had a grandma, I bet. Well, I hope that we'll get to know each other better. Give me kiss."

A bit reluctantly, Edmund pecked Liz on the cheek, then having been given permission, he raced out of the room.

"I will have to teach him better manners" Carolyn said, somewhat embarrassed by Edmund's behavior.

"No, there is nothing wrong with his manners. He just sensed the tension in you."

"I am not tense." Carolyn protested.

"You are, my baby. You think that you could fool your mother? You are worried that I might bite Edmund."

"I am not."

"You'd be a fool if you didn't worry. I have been biting children. I am not proud of it. I am not proud of the fact that I am not fully in control of myself, that the hunger may strike when I least expect it and I may not be able to contain it. No, you do well to worry about Edmund.

"Mother, it isn't like that!"

"I am dangerous, Carolyn. I try not to be. And since Barnabas has been helping me, there have been no more... mishaps. But I don't blame Beth Tignor for being scared of me. Nor Vicky, either."

"Bu I am not afraid, and Uncle Roger is not afraid... "

"You love me too much for that. It is all right, Carolyn. It is as it should be. You are just being a good mother to Edmund."

"I want to be a good daughter to you."

"You are. But it is ore important that you be a good mother to my grandchild."

Beth Tignor hung back. She _did_ look scared of Liz. Carolyn determined to she would replace her in this task. She would ask Barnabas for somebody who could work with Liz. Frances Jackson, maybe. Or Buffy Torrance, if she was willing to take the job, now that she was married to a civil servant."

"Mr. Deale Atwater is here" Lucile Staszak came in. "He says that he wants to see his wife."

"Mother?" Carolyn asked Liz.

"Tell him that he can come in."

Adam arrived a few moments later. "Hello, Liz." he said.

"Hello, Adam." Liz said firmly "How are you doing? Still painting?'

"Liz, why didn't you tell me?"

"What for? I didn't want anybody to know."

"But Carolyn and Roger knew..."

"I could not hide it from them. I would if I could."

"Liz..."

"It is over, Adam. Officially you are now a widower and that's how I want it to remain. You are free of me."

"I don't want, not this way... I don't what to be dismissed this way. As if I just wanted to get rid of you."

"I did not say you did. But it is over." She patted his cheeks. "Go Adam. We gave each other what we needed when we needed it. We should not push it. What I need now you can't give me, and I have nothing to offer you. You are not bound to me anymore."

"Liz, I care about you."

"Adam" a small groan escaped Liz "This is just your hurt pride talking. You were fun, and we had good times together. But that's all there was. Don't make it hard."

"I can't leave you like this."

"You must. I am dead, Adam. While I lived you did right by me. Now it is time to let me go."

Carolyn began pulling Adam away while Liz kept talking.

"You are free Adam, You have your painting. You have your future. Don't tie yourself to me because of pride."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

"You look well, Vicky." Barnabas told her.

"Do I?" she grabbed his hand anxiously "tell me the truth, what will happen to my baby?"

"Doctor Taft thinks that he will be all right."

"But Liz... what she did to me... Tell me, Barnabas, when a vampire bites a pregnant woman, what happens to the baby?

Barnabas looked down. "I don't know." he confessed.

"It never happened to you?"

"I took pains to avoid it."

"And now? What's going to happen now? This baby is Phillip's It is all I got left of him. I don't want to lose it."

"You won't lose it."

"Who knows what happens in cases like mine? Who knows what the baby will turn out to be?" Vicky was almost hysterical." Maybe will be born with the curse, too.. and Carolyn allowed me to stay here, she was all sweetness and light, calling me her sister, and putting me as food for Liz! I hate her!"

Barnabas did not comment on that. It was wiser not to.

"Who knows what happens in cases like mine? Does anyone know? "

He did not have an answer to that. He just did not know. And looking at Vicky's intent face he knew that she wanted Liz dead for the sake of her baby, and that she would continue to plead and cry and make scenes until he gave in and did what, to her, was to be done.

Vicky was not above manipulating, not with her child in danger..

He had promised to let Liz have as much time as she wanted. But Vicky might want to push the time for her own peace of mind.

"I do not know" he said. "But others might know. Megan's back. I will ask her if she's ever heard of it, and what is to be done."

She looked at him. "I am sorry to put this on you. But it is _my_ baby."

"I know. I know." If Liz did not remind him so much of Naomi, he might be swayed already. But not yet, not while there might be an answer.

"Barnabas, can I ask you one thing?"

"What is it?"

"Before you go, have Carolyn sign for my settlement. I want the money now."

"So you can quit your job?"

"Yes. I do not want to stay one more night in Collinwood."

* * *

Xavier and Sandy were enjoying a vegetarian dinner in his home.

"To a good year. Better than the last one." Xavier said as they clicked their glasses together.

"Yes. Much better than the year that is gone." Sandy echoed.

"I sure hope that the economy gets better.

"So do I. But according to Barnabas it will get even worse."

"Maybe he wants it to fail."

"Maybe" Sandy shrugged. She fond without surprise how easily she could talk about Barnabas. It was no longer a madness growing in her. It did not drive her out of her mind to know that he was close to her and that she could have him if she only dared... No, not anymore. That last explosion leading to her metamorphosis had scared her into her senses. She liked him, was grateful to him for the times he had helped her, but no more.

"I wonder" Xavier said, blushing slightly "if the next year will bring us some changes in our lives. If we will not at last find someone we want to spend our lives with."

Sandy smiled at that. It was so sweet, so old fashioned.

"I believe that you are proposing to me, Mr. Davenport" she answered, primly.

"Well, yes." Xavier laughed a bit uncomfortably. "In fact I am. You...?"

"I am flattered, Mr. Davenport.. Xavier."

"And apart from flattered?"

Sandy knitted her brow, considering her answer. She was cured of her obsession with Barnabas. But was it wise to plunge so soon into another relationship, no matter how appealing? She remembered how it had been with Chris. Did she have the right to put Xavier thought that?

"I am not sure."

"Is it Chris? You think that you might want to get together with him again?"

"Not Chris. That is over. But there used to be someone else. I don't think he knew how I felt about him, and if he did, he never showed it. We have never spoken of it. It was because I could not get him that I went with Chris. It was not good for me, and it was not good for Chris, either. We knew that it was no good, but we were stubborn and tried to stick it out. Then Herbert was killed and was one good excuse to break up. I was mad at myself and I took it out on everybody else. I still thought that I could somehow get Barnabas. "she did not notice that she had at last spoken his name aloud. " I think that I am free of it now. I feel a sort of calm, of peace, that I have not have felt in years. I want to think that it is truly over. But I can't ask you to gamble on that."

"I see." he took her hand in his "But you do have some feeling for me."

"I do. I like you."

"You just don't want to treat me the way you treated Chris Jennings?"

"You would not like it if I did."

"I could take the gamble."

* * *

"A pregnant woman." Megan thought about it. "That is a tough one."

"I thought you might know the answer."

"Surprising as it might seem, I do not know everything. I know that you don't want to consider shooting Liz, but it might come to that to save the baby."

"Unless there is another answer.. I want Liz and Carolyn have some time together."

"Yes. I see your point. Liz and Derek. Ignorance feeding on ignorance... I should have taught him more of what we are and what we can and cannot do.. And maybe it is time you learned more about your kind What we are, what we can and we cannot do. I should have told you earlier, but you were so full of self-hate that I could not trust what you would do with the knowledge.""

"I think that I am over that now."

"Good. You realize that the worst damage you did was caused by it, don't you? Like in 1796 when your strangled your victims because you could not bear the thought that you had taken some of their blood."

"I finally figured it out."

"Good. There is someone you should meet. He might have the answers. I do not think that he has dealt with pregnant women, but he deals with child vampires."

"Child vampires?

"Not all of us are conscientious when it comes to children. We have our share of child molesters, like any other segment of the population. Siegfried Verhoff takes care of the results. Use my name when you see him. He owes me some favors."\

* * *

Oriana checked in at the hotel. She felt uneasy coming back to Collinsport. Not that she feared Barnabas, not that he might hurt her, but that it would make for some awkward moments.

If she had not promised her editor a follow-up article... but she had, and here she was.

This time she could not count on Barnabas' cooperation. And she did not blame him for that. She HAD used him.

Well, it could not be helped. She had to play it by ear.

* * *

George had understood. He had to see Dr. Verhoff, for Vicky and her child's sakes. He had to be away. And when he was gone, certain things might need doing. Some things that George would have to do instead of himself.

George had understood that. He knew now where the silver bullets were kept, and now he was coming with Barnabas to see Liz.

"You look better, Liz." Barnabas said, knowing that it was a lie.

"No. I am not better." Liz said calmly "If I wasn't doped up to the eyeballs I would be screaming in pain. But it is worth it." her face took on a dreamy expression "We finally have the time together, Carolyn and I."

"I am glad for you." he hesitated a few moments, then went on ahead. "Liz. I will be going out of town. There is something that I have to do."

"It must be very important, for you to leave town."

"It is."

"Does it have to do with Vicky?"

"No.." he began, but changed his mind. Liz deserved the truth. "Yes. It has to do with Vicky. I was told that there is a man who can help us with Vicky's... problem."

"I bit her while she was carrying a child."

"You were desperate, Liz."

"I should have never done it. I did nothing but cause trouble."

"Liz..."

"I did not mean to hurt any of them. But I did. I am not better than a child molester."

"Come on, Liz."

Liz did not answer this time."

"Liz, if you need anything while I'm am away, George will see to it."

"Anything? Even if I want to... to stop the pain?"

"Specially that."

"Yes. I imagine. He carries a gun so it will be easier for him, if it comes to that." she smiled at George. "I am grateful to you, despite my sharp tongue, young man."

"I know you are." George kissed her hand. "and I hope that I can be of service to you."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

He had to pack. It was a good thing that Julia had been so understanding for his request for vacation time (rather, when she had herd the name Siegfried Verhoff her eyes had lit up, which mean that she would want to meet him soon.)

"Barnabas?" Oriana asked as she sneaked behind him "are you mad at me?"

"I am not mad at you." Barnabas said evenly "You kept your bargain, after all."

"Bargain?"

"You never wrote about me, never gave me away, and that's all I cared about."

"Just my silence? Was that all you wanted?"

"It was our original deal."

"Yes. That was a the beginning. But afterwards..."

"Afterwards we had a bit of fun, but it was not supposed to last and it didn't"

"I hurt you, didn't I?'

"You didn't"

"Will it help any if I said that I was sorry?'

"Sorry about that?" For a moment he wanted to continue the charade, then relented. There was no need to be cruel.

"No, you are right. I was hurt for a while. But I got over it. And I found someone else."

"Who is she?"

"It doesn't matter. What matters is that we make each other happy. I like it. I don't want to be harsh, but I don't want to throw that away because you now want to offer me another go at it."

'You don't understand why I had to leave."

"In a way I do. I was too absorbed with Willie, and hardly noticed that you were around. You got angry and left."

Oriana nodded.

"I called you several times, but no one answered."

"I was away" It must have happened when he was strapped to that guillotine. it had not been her fault that he had not been there.

But she could have called earlier. And George had been there when he needed him.

"I don't blame you. Not anymore. But it is over between us. I told you, I have someone else."

"But still." he looked wistfully at him "when I think of it, I realize what a fool I was to let you go like that."

"It can't be helped now." he put his hand on her shoulder. "Oriana, I don't blame you. I don't wish you ill. But whatever was between us is over. Accept it."

She grumbled. She knew that she had to answer to that, and that he had reacted better than she had expected. And that was the worst. She had expected bitter recriminations, tears, anger, screams, anything that would leave him emotionally exhausted, and open to a tearful reconciliation. It always worked that way in the old movies that she loved to watch. But politeness, this understanding, this civility, was impregnable. He did not hate her. And he did not want her either. The would she had made had left no scar tissue at all.

* * *

Quentin sat on his favorite chair, sipping his brandy. As he always liked to. He saw Adam come in, looking dejected and ready to be rejected again by Liz. He lifted his glass to him in mockery.

"Hail to the concerned and faithful husband" he said ironically.

Adam did not answer him.

"Really, Mr. Atwater, we should be making common cause. After all, we are both married to Collins women, women that we don't really want. Mother and daughter. That makes us sort of relatives, doesn't it?"

Adam's eyes grew angry and was about to snap back when he remembered that there was _something_ that he did want from Quentin,.

"Indeed, we are in the same boat." he grinned at Quentin "what is it that you are drinking?"

"Brandy. Do you want some?"

"If you don't mind."

Quentin filled a glass and gave it to Adam. :"By any chance, are you and Carolyn getting together again?"

"Why, Mr. Collins? Are you worried that we might?'

"I hope you do. I know that she wants you. She will be sleeping with you in no time soon, if you let her. Hell,, she has slept with everyone else, except me."

Adam glared at Quentin. "What do you mean?"

"She didn't tell you yet? Oh, well, she might, soon. After you are done mourning, she will get close to you. You were close to her once. In fact, you almost married her before you ran away with her mother. Maybe you want to pick up where you left. And if I am lucky, she'll want you badly enough to divorce me. Not a moment too soon."

"Mr. Collins..."

"Call me Quentin. After all, we are going to be real close now. You and Carolyn sleeping upstairs in the big bed, and me sleeping on the couch down here./"

"Really.." Adam was beginning to get uncomfortable.

"Come on, Mr. Atwater... Is Atwater your real name? Do you have any real name, besides Adam? Barnabas told me about you, when we still talked. Now he things that he's too good for me. HIM, too good for me! Anyway, Mr. Atwater, how do you estimate your prospects?"

'Mr. Collins..."

"Call me Quentin, and I'll call you Adam."

"I'd rather not."

"Afraid to get close to me because you plan to screw my wife and it won't do if we are friends? Why, I thought nothing of screwing the wives of MY friends. Or of my brother. Actually, I have no friends. Except Barnabas, for a while. I took Angelique from him, but he was glad about that.

Adam felt the urge to deck Quentin. To be talked to in this tone by a.. a gigolo. A professional husband... it would make him feel good to do it.

But he did not. Because there was something that he needed to know and Quentin might tell him about it if he kept drinking that way.

* * *

All the bags were packed in the car. The coffin took most of the space in the trunk (and be thankful that it fit in there).

Megan had come to see them leave.

"You came to wish us a good trip?"

"That and give you some advice. Number one, when you feed, remember that you are dealing with people you don't know. Make sure that you make them forget afterwards. And ask them if they got any medical condition before you bite. You do not want to deal with an unexpected case of hemophilia."

"Yes, that's a good idea.. And number two?"

"You taking Urien?"

"Yes. I need a relay driver."

"Don't take him to Verhoff's. It could be dangerous. Not Verhoff himself, but his patients who are still learning self-control. You do not want Urien to serve as an example of what happens when they do not practice it."

* * *

"Carolyn" Liz said softly, her hand playi8ng with her daughter's hair. "My baby, my sweet baby."

Carolyn kissed Liz's hand "Mama." she asked in a small voice. "Why did Barnabas leave town? Is it something to do with you?"

"Don't worry about it, Carolyn, baby."

* * *

He hoped that Urien was all right in the motel and not getting bored.

He had left him plenty of books, and hoped that it should be enough to hold him. But what if Urien decide to pick some extra cash the way he used to? Maybe he should send him home...

He had to meet this Dr. Verhoff. He did not know much about him, and what he did made him uneasy.

A young girl let him in. So young. She would be at most eleven...

"Do you have an appointment? she asked.

"I talked to him on the phone. Ms. Graham recommended him."

"Ms. Graham?"

"Used to be Mrs. Todd before the divorce."

"Oh, Yes. Mrs. Todd, of course."

Her expression was adult, Barnabas realized. It did not go with her body at all.

"Wait here. I'll tell him you are here."

Barnabas sat down, wondering about the girl. Was she... one of Verhoff's patients?... so young.. breasts not beginning to form yet...

A few moments later the girl opened the door again. "You can come in."

"Ah, Mr. Collins. Mr. Barnabas Collins." he said in a thick, heavy accent. "Megan Todd talked to me about you. Sorry, Megan Graham. You are the one who turned her into a vampire, are you not?"

"Yes."

"Do you still hate yourself for being what you are?"

"Not anymore."

"Did you have any other accidents like you did with her?"

"Only two more. And not by myself alone."

"Oh? How come?

He told him about Dirk and Roxanne.

"I see. All three adults."

"Of course they were adults! I don't feed on children!"

"I wish I did not have to ask you those questions, but there is no way to tell... The one who attacked Cicely, looked as normal as you can imagine... She trusted him. And so it is that Cicely became a vampire. You met Cicely didn't you?"

"No.."

"The girl who admitted you."


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

"So young?"

"Yes. She is young, Mr. Collins." Verhoff sighed "but compared to others, she looks grown up. Unhappily not everyone has the same restraint you and I have around children. Not many of them, thankfully. And we stop the ones we find out, permanently. But they create quite a bit of damage. My job is to care for the victims. Cecily is a patient and also my assistant."

He emptied his pipe, refilled it, and lighted it up again.

"It is tragic for them" he said softly "Think about Cecily. Not only is she a vampire, but she will never grow into a woman's body."

"It is horrible" Barnabas said with feeling.

"But she is not the worst case. I can show you a three year old. Not younger. We do not allow them younger. Their minds cannot handle what happened to them so we... we put them to sleep. And sometimes I wonder if three years old is too young. When we get them, all the do is cry and ask for their mother. They can't understand what happened to them and why this time Mom can't help them."

Barnabas closed his eyes and shivered.

"Now about this child you want me to help."

"It has not been born yet. It is a pregnant woman. A close friend. The husband disappeared and is presumed dead. She will not even hear of an abortion. I don't want it either. But if anything like this were to happen...

"The vampire who bit the woman, what about him? Can you catch him? Killing him would solve the problem."

Barnabas shook his head.

"Don't be sentimental. We routinely execute child molesters. We can do it for you."

"She can't be caught. And what if by the time you catch her, it is too late?"

"So you know that it is a she?"

Barnabas said nothing. He had already said too much.

"Are you sure she can't be found? Or are you covering up for her for reasons of you own? For God's sake, _She's_ a child molester. Anyone who will not keep away from a pregnant woman will not keep away from children."

Barnabas nodded, aware that Liz had attacked children.

"All right. I'll tell you about her, and why she's no longer a threat. She's my cousin. She was dying of cancer and she thought to beat it this way..."

He told Liz's story to Verhoff who listened patiently to it.

"She and her daughter were estranged for a long time. Now they are close again. I want to give them some time together."

"The pain will grow worse and worse for her." Verhoff bit on the pipe stem. The movement exposed his fangs for half a second, then his lips covered them and he was the professional once more.

"Ach..." Verhoff finally said. "I see your quandary. You care for Victoria Todd (that is the second wife of Megan's ex-husband?) and want the child to be healthy. Then you want to help your cousin and her daughter. It is a tough decision, all right. Luckily there is a way out. It is a medical procedure to deal with a different problem. Rh positive children born to an Rh negative mothers. as soon as they are born their blood is exchanged before it has the time to begin destroying them. It has been done for quite a while and I don't see any reason why it would not work just as well on Mrs. Todd's child."

"Is that all? Are you telling me it is that simple?'

"Yes. The best solutions are simple one. There is a virtue to simplicity. Mrs. Todd is not the first woman to face this problem. Nor the last one, I am afraid."

"So..."

"So now would you like to see my patients?"

* * *

Elsa had changed, Oriana noticed. She had begun to develop into a woman and that was a bit disconcerting. The physiological changes in her had some effect in her moods, and she had sudden flares of temper that were as sudden as they were brief. One moment she was again the precocious child, and the next moment her budding sexuality would clumsily try to assent itself.

"It is hard." Alma said. "But I guess that's what happens with teenagers. Now I know what mama meant when she told me to wait until I had children of my own. All the things she told me, I am telling Elsa. And it does as much good as her telling me did..."

"Is she still interested in Barnabas?"

Alma rolled her eyes to Heaven. "Please don't talk to her about it. She'll think that you are making fun of her. She was bitten by Elizabeth ands he believed that it was Barnabas and got... carried away by the idea that he wanted her now. She would actually wear make-up to bed. Of course, she is now angry with him. Poor Elsa." Alma laughed, a bit sadly "In any case, there won't be any bad after effects from the experience. All that was hurt was Elsa's vanity and her puppy love for Barnabas."

"One year from now she'll barely remember it."

"Of course. She may later be able to laugh at it. Now, she's just very unhappy."

"And how is Barnabas doing?"

"Same as always."

"He and Iris together again?"

"No. Iris is in Wyncliffe, didn't you hear?"

"In Wyncliffe?" Oriana gulped.

"It was her sister who did it. And Delia Harding. They cracked up and kidnapped Iris. Tammy Innes too. I am not sure what they did, but it was too much for them. I heard it said that it involved a slave ship from the eighteenth century. But then I have heard so many things... In any case, it was a wicked thing to do. And you would have never known. Violet looked like such a little thing, scared all the time. And Miss Harding, a nurse and everything. Who could have guessed? I was at the hospital once and she was always so efficient... and it turns up that she was cracked. You can't tell who is crazy and who isn't"

Oriana commiserated over that, then changed the subject before Alma launched on another soliloquy about mental health of the lack thereof.

"I heard that he has now this boy living at the Old House."

"Yes. Urien Yost. I mean Collins. He adopted him. No one would give him the time of day when he came. I mean he was al.." Alma blushed "a male prostitute. But Barnabas cared enough about him. He gave him a home. He even taught him how to read. Can you believe that he was illiterate? And that no one noticed? He was in High School and on one noticed that he could not read. It is a shame, the schools these days. And it is getting worse."

"And you say that Barnabas taught this boy, Urien, to read?"

"Yes. He got stubborn about it. The kid kept protesting that it was all a waste of time. But Barnabas would not believe it. At the end Barnabas won that argument and Urien does not regret losing it. "

"You said that he adopted the boy."

"Legal and everything. I imagine that it was good for both of them. The boy has a home, and Barnabas has a son. God knows that he wants a child of his own. Ever since Carolyn took Edmund away from him he's been moping. Of course, Carolyn changed for the better after she got the boy. She's now friendly with Barnabas and everything. It was a shame, what happened to her mother... And to think that Elizabeth had to attack children like Elsa. She did no serious harm, thank God. Still it is sad and frightening. And then there is Mrs. Todd, and she is pregnant... Barnabas is scared of ever biting a pregnant woman, and then this happens to Mrs. Todd. And everybody knew that she was pregnant. There was no way to miss it. But I guess that Elizabeth was too much in pain to care... She is still in pain, as I understand. I don't know how she wants to live in those circumstances. I would not. I always say that when my time comes, let them pull the plug."

* * *

"Why are you afraid?" Verhoff asked Barnabas "I grant you that my children can be dangerous, since they are still learning self-control. But not to you. And you have kept your helper out of here."

"I..."

"Why are you so afraid? They are just children. And they can't hurt you. Maybe you can give them a hand."

Cecily had come in, noiselessly - or perhaps just materialized - her eyes old and knowing, her body prepubescent.

"I think that Mr. Collins will want to see our charges " Verhoff said to her "Maybe you could show him around."

Noiselessly Barnabas shook his head. No he did not _want_ to see them. but he could find no acceptable excuse for it.

He let Cecily lead him upstairs. "Mr. Collins how much did he tell you about me?"

"That you were one of his patients. And his assistant."

"In the past tense. I am his nurse, his receptionist, his associate, and his daughter figure. I am supposed to be his devoted daughter according to some old-fashioned idea o fdomesticity." she grinned "and his lover too. There is a bit of Roman Polanski in him. But with me he can do it and not feel guilty about it, since I am not really a little girl. I have met those who don't know that and still want me. I seem to have a talent for finding them, which helps me, because then I have no guilt feelings when the children get rough with them... If it gets real scary for them, it leads them to mend their ways. We have reformed quite a few of them that way."

"So it is a public service?"

"You can call it that. It saves the children they would have otherwise molested..."

"And the children eventually learn self-control."

"It is not easy for them. But they learn to adjust. We all learn to adjust. We have to."

Barnabas shook his head. "You sound so much older than..."

"Than I look? Yes. That's what anyone says about our patients... It is hard for them to maintain a facade of childhood when inside they are grown men and women. It can cause bitterness. Many are driven to suicide. And others court destruction. It is hard to have an independent life when you are a child. You need an adult to front for you... And keep replacing them... They can have a lot of learning, and they use it, but always through intermediaries. And they have to keep playing the child for those unsuspecting... No wonder that sometimes they get rough when they bite, because they want to punish the adult that treats them like children when they are not...We have our hands full with them."

"How old are you?"

"Three hundred and sixty two years. Actually, the good doctor, for all of his beard is much younger than me. I had to muddle through a long time without his help. Still, if he wants to take credit for me, he can. He's very vain, as you'll find out if you stay with us."


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

"Only five years?" Barnabas asked, with shock, at Verhofff.

"Yes. And Jerry here is a bright little boy, aren't you, Jerry?' Ach, you are a good boy, aren't you?"

"Yes. I am" Jerry said, mimicking Verhoff's heavy accent. "I have been a good boy."

Verhoff looked severe. "Young man, you are being fresh."

"I am sorry, Uncle Ziggy."

"Ziggy?" Barnabas asked with surprise.

"Short for Siegfried. Also short for Sigmund. But no one called Sigmund Ziggy. Ach, if Sigmund could only see me now. I he knew what I know... He got the fame and I got the most unusual practice. So unusual that I can't even publish my results. You have no idea how frustrating that if for a scientist no to be able to publish. We live for our peer's recognition. Money, yes, rewards yes. But what we crave if being celebrated by other scientists, quoted, having our research used...That communion of minds is forever lost to me... That's why I want you to stay with me. You are a therapist, I believe."

"I have no degree."

"But you do practical experience And you can learn.. A lot of our patients have no degrees, but they do research and create original work, that can only be published under other people's names... If you stay with me you can learn... Should anything happened to me, you could take over..."

"What about Cecily?"

"I am not sure that she really wants to do it."

"Are you so sure of that?"

"She is so...so.."

"So daughter like.. So female?"

Verhoff growled. "Young man, do not dare analyze_ me_!"

"You are Herr Professor, then?" Barnabas could not keep from smiling. "You set yourself up as the All Knowing God."

"And what if I am?" Verhoff snorted "that's what's wrong with people today. No respect for authority. I am Herr Professor because of my knowledge, of my study, of my dedication to my work. Just because you have done some reading here and there does _not_ give you the right to treat me as an equal.."

"So I am not the ideal student."

"No. But you'll have to do."

"I haven't yet said that I accepted. After all, I got my own responsibilities in Collinsport."

"Dr. Hoffman, eh?" She can grant you a leave of absence for a study trip."

"There are other considerations. There are other people there who count on me. I can't just pack and leave."

"Just think about it."

* * *

"Peter?" Yolanda asked him. "What do you see?"

Peter closed his eyes and Yolanda put her hands on his shoulders.

"You will be my eyes, won't you?" Yolanda prodded gently, almost affectionately "You will do this for me, won't you, Peter darling?"

The child was so affection-starved that it was not hard to inspire devotion in him. First is was an abnormal family life with a slavish mother who secretly hated him, then it had been the whippings at Delia's hands, and finally placement with the Kings, for reasons that had noting to do with desire to make a home for him. Jessica was too daunted with the prospect of caring for such a disturbed child, and Zeb only wanted to hurt Barnabas. Peter now knew that it was only Yolanda who wanted him..

And Yolanda wanted him because, like all children, there was psychic power stored in him. Not as much as it had been in Zachary's mask, but it was there, and she could use it. She could not do with him as Nicholas had done with Urien. The boy was her reason for staying in Collinsport, her alibi, as it were, and he had to seem well cared for. Elizabeth would not betray her, but still she had to be more careful in the future.

Already she was getting a good reputation because of the way Peter had apparently improved under her care.. From the start Barnabas had believed that she had only been an innocent trapped in Nicholas' schemes and that she had learned her lesson. He might yet befriend her...

And by the time he did, he would do to him what she had done to Elizabeth...

But Peter was not the only source of power to be had. He could help her locate others. Not Zachary's mask. They might be watching it, to see if there was more activity connected with it. There were probably other sources in Collinsport. She could sense them. And with Peter's help, even locate them."

"You love me, Peter, don't you?"" she caressed the boy's forehead "You'll do anything for me, won't you?"

* * *

"Rejecting father, doting mother... Hmmm..." Verhoff said. "that's interesting. You hated your father, didn't you?"

"Look Doctor, I do not see why we have to keep discussing it. Just because I said that I did not forgive him for chaining me in the coffin..."

"You thought of killing him more than once... You loved your mother, and he interfered.."

"Doctor..."

"You had a sister, didn't you?"

""Doctor, I did not come for myself but for a friend. I do not need to be analyzed."

"You were more of a father to your sister than her real father... You replaced your father there..."

"So what if I did?"

"Classical"

"Will you please stop trying to make me into a case history?"

"What you say is most interesting."

"I am not a specimen for you to study. I am not a demo for the Oedipus complex. And I think that Freud was wrong on many things. "

"Like what?"

"He got the incestuous desires theory backwards. Those girls had been sexually abused by their fathers., and Freud chose to blame the victims for it. He was a windbag."

"Arrggg!" Verhoff shouted in anger.. He was so angry that he could barely speak. He felt like he wanted to hit Barnabas, and only his dignity as Herr Professor kept him from doing it.

"Young man." he said, after he managed to calm himself "Sigmund was a genius! Whatever has happened since, they only built on the foundations he created! You would not be doing the work that you do if it had not been for him! He was the first who looked into these things and saw something worth investigating. So he wasn't right all the time. Still, he knew more than you ever could. speak of him with respect, will you? At least when you are under my roof."

"I am sorry" Barnabas said, not contrite at all. "but it irritated me to see you writing down everything I said."

"You were just contributing to my knowledge."

"Still, your case is an interesting one. And you admitted that you have unresolved conflicts."

"I might have them or not. but Mrs. Collins did not raise children dumb enough to ask advice from a cuckoo shrink who catches it from his patients."

"Well, well, well" Verhoff looked at him glacially "You have all the popular prejudices against psychology."

* * *

Quentin was drunk. Drunk enough not to care what he said, nor to whom. Adam listened intently.

"So why don't you leave Carolyn? Do you need money that bad?"

Quentin shook his head "She can send me to jail. Then Carl made me give her my portrait back."

'Your portrait? Are you staying with her just for the sake of a photograph?"

"Not a photograph. A painting... Not an ordinary portrait, mind you. It is supposed to be my secret. Only it isn't a secret anymore. Nothing stays secret here for long. Still, it would be nice if Carolyn had not found that one out."

"Found out what?"

Quentin laughed "You are making me talk, aren't you? Well, since you are going to be part of the family, you might as well know the secrets. After all, Carolyn will tell you sooner or later. It is a magic portrait, you see. It was supposed to be good for me, only it isn't. Not really. Still, it has its points. It is because of the portrait that I look so young. You see, it grows old for me. Charles did himself good. And he did not even get paid for it. Or if he was, I do not think that Petofi paid him much."

He told Adam the whole story, from the moment that Petofi had first conceived the idea, to his claiming it from Roger.

"So you have it now?"

"Carl made me give it to Carolyn. Yeah, Carl."

"Carl was your brother, wasn't he?"

"Yes. Damn kid always getting in the way. He deserved what he got."

"What did he get?"

"Strangled by Barnabas, that's what. And now he wants revenge. Not on Barnabas. On me. He could go after Barnabas. After all, he was the one who did the killing. But no, it is me. Always like that. Dogging my steps all the time. Playing those tricks on me. Creepy kid."

* * *

"Doctor" Barnabas said, more calmed now. "I heard you mention a friend called Sigmund."

"Yes. Sigmund."

"Was that Sigmund Freud?"

Verhoff nodded, looking smug.

"You mean that you knew him personally?"

"Sure! He was my friends. We studied together. Actually, the Freud theory should be the Freud-Verhoff theory. But, you see, I had to leave the limelight. So he took the bows on his own. Very unfair, if you ask me."

Barnabas' jaw dropped. He was rescued from having to offer an intelligent answer by the phone.

It was Urien. Julia had gotten back to him, and she had said that Barnabas had to get back to Wyncliffe. Tammy wanted to see him. And the meeting was necessary for Julia to determine if Tammy was well enough to be discharged.

"I will go back. I have to." he told Verhoff.

Verhoff grumbled/ I tell you what. I will come with you. I want to take a look at your Mrs. Todd. It won't hurt if I see her, and it might help."

"There is no room in my trunk for a second coffin."

"So we will go in my van. Urien can drive the car back."

"Won't Cecily be left without a van?"

"She has no driver's license. She'll just put someone or other under control to get a driver, complete with car."

Well, Verhoff would meet Julia. Julia was a strict Freudian herself, so Verhoff would be quite a treat to her.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

"You keep talking about this George." Verhoff spoke as he drove.

"He's the Collinsport sheriff."

"And he knows all about you?" Verhoff was impressed.

Something made Barnabas say it. Maybe he wanted to score some points against Verhoff who still rubbed him the wrong way.

"He's my lover."

"What?"

"Careful" he grabbed the wheel and kept it steady. "Don't crash the van, please."

"But... But..." Verhoff spluttered "You seem so normal."

"Normal? No. I am not. That's why I can't see myself in mirrors."

"But... but..."

Well, he had done it. For the first time, Verhoff was speechless.

* * *

Xavier and Sandy drove home after the movies.

"It was good, wasn't it?"

"I don't know. I am not sure I understood what was going on. Why they put this modern story in the middle of the other one. She is good, tough."

"Yes." Xavier agreed "She is good. I saw her in 'Kramer vs. Kramer.'"

"I saw her on TV. In 'Holocaust'. God, what a terrible show."

"Yes. And the worst part was that it was all true. And what they didn't show was worse than what they showed."

"I don't think I could understand...hey, what's that?"

Xavier stopped the car abruptly "That thing up there?"

"Yes."

"You see it too?"

Sandy held her breath while she nodded. "It this it?" she managed to ask. "a flying saucer?"

"There are no such things as flying saucers."

"An U.F.O, I mean."

"Yes, it is an U.F.O. But not like the one I saw before."

"I never saw any of any kind before." Sandy whispered.

The U.F.O. disappeared.

"It is gone now." Sandy said.

Xavier peered. "It is behind the trees. It should come out again."

But it did not. They waited for quite a while in the cold, but the U.F.O. was nowhere to be seen.

* * *

Little Debbie Crocker wept. She held the dead cat to her body and pleaded with Cicely.

"Kitty's sick." she complained "Please make it well again."

Cecily shook her head. She looked at it, then shook her head again.

"Can't you do anything?" the little girl insisted.

"You bit him."

"I just wanted to kiss it. Just a little bit."

Cecily sighed. "It was too much. Now it is dead."

* * *

"Doctor." Barnabas was trying to make conversation again while Verhoff was making a point of avoiding him. "When I was at your house, I heard cats, and then dogs. Do you keep pets?"

"I have cats and dogs. For the children."

Barnabas nodded. Pets were good for children.

"Of course, by the time they get them the children know how to restrain themselves."

"No. They don't. That's how they learn how important self-control is."

"You mean?"

"Yes. Mr. Collins. We give them cats and dogs, then we wait until they kill them, which is very quickly. Then they come crying to us, asking us to make them well again. That's' the first hard lesson they have to learn. That drinking too deep can make them lose something they love very much. They scream, they call us mean, they mope, they weep,. And next time they remember."

"It is a terrible lesson."

"But necessary. Biting can be dangerous unless it is done with self-control. You can tell what happens when self-control is not there. We want to make sure than when we release them into the general population they are not a threat to anyone."

* * *

I still believe it was a frame-up." Roger said.

Adam nodded politely. Nixon again. Well, he had been warned about Roger.

"Who do you think did it?" he said, humoring Roger.

Roger glared at him. "You think that I am crazy?"

"No. I don't" Antagonizing Roger was the last thing he wanted.

"They probably told you about me."

"I don't believe it."

"You don't?" Roger said with irony "You believe that there was something strange about it?"

"I have my own suspicions." Adam evaded. "but I can't do anything about it."

"You'd like to do something about it?"

"Huh? Well., yes. But there are other things... what happened to my wife... and it could be dangerous. They could threaten your family."

"True." Roger admitted "I have Edmund to consider. I could not let anything happen to him."

"I could not put it past them." Adam said grimly, hoping that it was enough to discourage Roger from pursuing that tack. He needed Roger's goodwill, but not if it led him into sneaking into the White House or CIA headquarters in order to get proof of conspiracies.

"With me, they could hurt Liz."

"Yes. Liz" Roger said, considering how vulnerable Liz was now.

"Yes."

'You do love Liz?"

"I care greatly for her."

"Why did you run away with her? Why did you hurt Carolyn that way? Why the scandal?"

"I loved Carolyn, but she was too possessive. Too spoiled, if you forgive my saying so. And Liz had those qualities that Carolyn lacked. And maybe I was looking for a mother at that time."

"So you ran away with her like that?" this time there was an edge to Roger's words, remembering the long, painful years of Liz's absence.

"We did not run away. We just didn't make a formal announcement."

"Of all the effrontery... Jilting the daughter and marrying the mother."

"Jilted." Adam smiled "it sounds so old-fashioned, so Victorian. I did not think that anyone used that word anymore." he sighed. "It is a good thing that she did not sue for breach of promise."

"I asked her to, but she couldn't bring herself to it."

"I am glad she didn't, for Liz's sake. She was hurt enough by being. estranged from her family. Even when she was enjoying herself, it hurt her."

"Well, Liz should have known that it would be like that!"

"She knew."

"She knew and still she went ahead?"

"She needed to do it."

"She abandoned her daughter."

"Carolyn wasn't an infant at the cradle. She was a grown woman who could take care of herself. And it did Carolyn good not to be mommy's little girl."

"It wasn't good. Not the way we had to live."

"I have heard some about it." Adam admitted.

"You did. And you still think it is a good thing that Liz left like that?"

* * *

Yolanda did not betray herself when iris told her that Iris might be released from Wyncliffe soon. Not Violet, though. She would have to stay in a lot longer.

Iris would want custody of Peter. Would she continue using the services of Peter's special teacher? Jessica thought she might.

She'd better, Yolanda thought grimly. If she didn't, she would have to be removed, more permanently than Violet. Peter was not like Elizabeth, too wracked by pain to be of more use than as a test of her powers. Peter could help her get the power she needed to defeat Angelique and Barnabas and avenge Zachary on them and the rest of the Collins family.

* * *

It was close to dawn when then got into the Old House. They barely had time to get out the coffins and get in them. But first thing in the evening, as Barnabas got up, Julia was there.

"I want to release Tammy" Julia told him "but first I need to know how she reacts to you. Same thing with Iris."

"They are well enough, then?"

"I need to see you with them first. Remember your were the focus of their hostilities, even if you didn't deserve it."

Not wholly deserve it. but then not wholly un-deserve it, either. What about Tammy? Would she ever be able to accept being related to him? And Iris? Would she ever accept that their relationship was over?

The arrival of Verhoff, still stretching his limbs and wiping his spectacles interrupted them.

"I am sorry" Barnabas said, then proceeded to introduce them. "Doctor Julia Hoffman Anderson, my employer. And Doctor Siegfried Verhoff."

"Verhoff?' Julia looked at him quizzically "I heard of someone named that... Is that you?"

"If you mean a close friend and associate of Doctor Sigmund Freud who one day dropped from sight without previous warning, yes, that's me."

Julia's jaw dropped..


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

"Ahem, young lady" Verhoff cleared his throat and sounded very professional for Vicky's benefit. He was enjoying the novelty of a patient without fangs. "Mr. Collins tells me that you worry aobut your child."

"I do." Verhoff's manner was reassuring, but not enough to change Vicky's worries.

"Yes. And you had good reason to worry."

"Had?" her voice became thin.

"Yes. It could have turned out badly. But it won't happen now. We know how to prevent any complications. It is a safe enough procedure. I predict that you'll have a very healthy baby. Just follow your doctor's instructions about diet and exercise. The rest should take care of itself."

* * *

Tammy stood stiffly, her back to the window.

"Tammy" Barnabas greeted her. He felt uncomfortable. He had wanted desperately to meet her. But now he was not sure of what to say.

"So you came to see me. And I want to see you too. I wanted to look at you again."

"Was there anything that you wanted to tell me?"

"Yes... no... I don't know. I am grateful to you for rescuing me. I know that I did not sound grateful " she looked down "I am ashamed of it. I should not have behaved that way."

"Tammy, don't be ashamed. I know what you were thinking. Where did that ship come from? For whom did Simon Garth work?"

"Yes." Tammy admitted.

"I can't give you a good answer. The past cannot be undone so easily with a few words of regret."

"No, it cannot. But that's not it. The others in there..." she turned her face away. "the slaves..."

"Yes."

"When they chained me in the hold I yelled that I was not one of them."

"I see."

"I was desperate. I was trying to convince them that I was more than another piece of black ivory. I said that I had an education, money in the bank, that I was your daughter... they just laughed at me.

Barnabas moved towards her. She stopped him with a gesture.

"No. Don't try to comfort me. Not yet. Not until I think that I deserve it."

'My dear..."

"I said that I was not like them. Don't you understand? I denied them. They were my people. My ancestors. And I denied them. I said that I was better than they were, that they could be slaves, but that I was too good for that."

"You were afraid, Tammy."

"I had no right to do that."

"Tammy, you had every right to protest. As a human being, first, and as a U.S. citizen second."

"Those were my people and I said that I was too good to be chained wit them."

"You were too good to be chained. So were they. I cannot undo the slave trade... And you were right. Simon Garth worked for my family. Thus for me."

"I... I.." Tammy was not sure what it was that she wanted to say.

"There should be an easy answer, shouldn't it? But if there is, I can't figure out what it is. I do not think that there is an answer at all. There is no way to tie it neatly and say that it ahs been explained to your satisfaction and that you can let it go."

"I don't want to let it go."

"Sooner or later you'll have to. No one can live in the past. I tried it once and it did not work. It would not work for you, either."

"I am nor ready to let go of it."

"Not now, then. But you know you must. And when the time comes for it, it will feel right. Time heals all wounds if you let it."

She closed her fists. "I don't want to forget it. I will not allow myself to forget it."

"You want to keep your anger?"

"All of it."

"And how will you use it?"

"Use it?"

"You can't just store anger. You can't just keep it inside. It will have to come out and how it comes out makes a big difference. My anger came out in ways that caused pain to others and created even more anger. I had to live with the consequences. Hold on to your anger, if you must. Nurse it, if you need it. But when it comes out, use it to fight for justice, for your people, and for others who are being oppressed. Do not use it to cause pain needlessly."

Tammy shook her head. "You just can't keep from lecturing me, can you? Do you have any idea of how infuriating you are?"

"I have a good idea. Tammy, what do you want from me?"

"I don't know. What do _you_ want from me?'

"That one day you acknowledge me. Not as a father, since that is impossible. Just accept that we are related, that I have a right to be concerned aobut you, and that I'd like to be closer to you if you let me."

"It is too soon for that."

"I know it is. But I think that it will happen in the end."

* * *

Adam was not sure that he knew how to do this properly. He had read about it, but that could be quite inadequate, to say the least.

On the other hand, he had to try every avenue. It was not likely that Roger would help him, what with the way he still resented him for his marriage to Liz. Not to mention that the kind of help Roger could give would get sidetracked into big trouble.

So maybe Carl Collins would help him. No harm in trying, anyway.

He had the book open at the right page an read the incantation from it.

"Carl Collins" he called. "Carl Collins, show yourself to me."

Nothing

He tried again.

"I can help you get revenge against Quentin. And Barnabas too. I cannot do it alone, as you cannot do it alone. Help me, Carl Collins, and I'll help you too."

Nothing. Might as well be talking to a wall.

He looked at the book again. Maybe he was saying it wrong.

No, that was not that.

Then what was it?

* * *

"You talked with Iris, too?" Julia asked Barnabas.

"Yes. She was quite calm. She accepted that our relationship is over, and maybe was doomed from the start. All she wants now is to make a home for Peter."

"Good."

"She is still angry with me, though. But she is rational about it."

"I imagine."

"It is just that no woman can have a satisfactory relationship with me, in the long run. There is no way that I can offer a family life to them, and eventually they want that. Even if they don't want it at the moment, they don't want to cut themselves off it."

"You got Urien now."

"Yes. But it is not the kind of ready-made family that Iris would want. nor Oriana."

"While George is only too glad to have it."

"Yes."

"By the way, I'd like to invite Dr. Verhoff to meet Kenneth and..."

"And talk shop, of course." Barnabas grinned, good naturedly "I will tell him of it."

* * *

Oriana listened to the talk around her in the cafe. The talk was about Barnabas and more specifically his recent trip and the weird companion he had brought with him.

"I mean" one of them was saying "he has an accent that you can cut with a knife."

"Yes." somebody else agreed. "sounds worse than Henry Kissinger."

"And his manner is so odd. It is not that he is a vampire. Neither Barnabas nor Megan act this arrogant. As for Derek, he would not dream of it."

"He's a doctor."

"A doctor? Since when do vampires get medical degrees? What college would admit them?"

"He could have gotten his degree before that."

"Are you sure about that?"

"My cousin Carla, you know, Carla Cilberg, well, she works in Wyncliffe, and she swears that she heard Dr. Hoffman say that Verhoff used to study with Freud."

Freud! Oriana tensed up. Sigmund Freud! If that was true...

If it was true, there was a story there that begged to be written. She just had to get it.

Sigmund Freud as I knew him. By Dr. Verhoff, as told to Oriana Falchi.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

"Certainly that is a novel interpretation." Kenneth said to Verhoff. "Of course, you are aware that some of Freud's methods are being abandoned. And there is a lot to be said for the behavioral school."

"Behavioral, psha!" Verhoff spat "They know nothing. Oh, yes. You can teach your patients not to do a particular thing. But the neurosis remains and they pick another habit soon. Even Karen Horney..."

"I have read Karen Horney. I have found her to be a very level-minded woman."

"She would not face her own neurosis. She was uncomfortable with her own femininity, this is why she quarreled with Freud. She would not see that he was right."

"Of course, Freud was always right." Julia had trouble not sounding ironical, and that did not escape Verhoff.

"You are like her. A classic case of penis envy. You can't have one of your own so you try to cut off somebody else's"

"You calling me a castrator?" It was hard to be polite.

"Ach, it is my belief that all women who do not accept their biological role are castrators."

He went on like that for a while and Julia had to remind herself that she _had_ invited him and she had asked for it. And that he had come for Vicky's sake and Vicky's well being should be the main consideration.

Eventually he got tired of lecturing and left.

"Well," Kenneth said. "It is interesting to meet a relic from the past. Turn of Century Vienna."

"Yes. It is." Julia said between clenched teeth. "Kenneth, those B. F. Skinner books that you gave Barnabas..."

"You want them?"

"Yes. I think now that there is a lot to be said for the behavioral school."

* * *

"Willie and Louella were glad to see him. They always were. So was Pearl, gurgling and talking. (or at least making sounds that if you tried real hard you could think they were words.)

"She's a very pretty girl." Barnabas said, lifting her in his arms and making her laugh "and bright too. But then, she takes after her parents."

"Yes. She's really something, isn't she?" Louella said. "But let me tell you, being a parent is a lot tougher than I first imagined. But it is worth it."

"It usually is."

"You are a parent yourself, now, aren't you?"

"Yes. I am. I missed watching Urien growing up, the way you can watch Pearl, but it is satisfying in its way."

Willie grumbled something that could not be understood. He had never liked Urien. The Midnight Cowboy, as he called him. But for Barnabas' sake, he kept his opinions to himself.

"He is going out with girls now." Barnabas continued "and he's trying to learn that there is more to sexuality than peddling one's body. It will take him a while to find out about it, but he will make it."

"It is a terrible thing that happened to him." Louella said heatedly "and when I think that, if things were different, Pearl might herself..."

Barnabas recognized Louella's fear... and, he remembered, Pearl had once been like Urien... not that he ever shared that knowledge with the Loomises... And there was another fear in Louella... She could end up as one of Verhoff's children... If Liz had come near Pearl...

"Nothing will happen to her." Willie said. :"She will grow up to be the first woman President."

"That is, if Maggie does not beat her to it." Barnabas supplied the tag line to Willie's favorite comment about his daughter.

"Yes. Maggie." Louella said. "She is now angling for Muskie's Senate seat."

"And I plan to stay out of this one. I did try to collaborate a while back, and it ended up in a nasty confrontation. I don't care to tangle with Sabrina again."

"You should take extra precautions."

"Yes. Precautions. You know, it is unfair. If Maggie wants to keep me away, all she needs is some garlic and crosses. What can I do to keep her goons away from me?"

Willie laughed "Sabrina won't like to hear herself called a goon."

"Fine. Hatchet woman, then."

"Know anything about her or her baby?" Louella asked.

"We don't correspond much." Barnabas sighed "Our last meeting was not precisely cordial. Sabrina saw my point, but did not like the way I made it. And we said things to each other that can't be easily be forgotten. Same with Maggie. Sometimes I wonder if I knew her at all, or it was just a fantasy in my head."

"Probably. You always saw her with rose colored glasses. I mean, after you finished thinking she was Josette, you idealized her out of guilt feelings. "

"Well, in a way I am responsible for the way she has soured."

"She had time and opportunity to turn sour on her own. And while you did terrible things to her, you also gave her her heart's desire. You gave her power and the ability to lord it up over all those who treated her like dirt because she was poor, and her father was a drunk. She enjoys the power. She enjoys watching her former tormentors come beg favors of her... You helped give that to her, when you managed her campaign. So stop the guilt feelings. She owes you."

Pearl chose that moment to start climbing Barnabas' leg, so their attention turned from Maggie to the much more pleasant and cuter Pearl.

* * *

Verhoff was about to step into the street when Oriana came upon him.

"Doctor Verhoff." she asked breathlessly "My name is Oriana Falchi. I am a reporter."

He stared her up and down "How sad for your poor family!"

"I would like to talk to you." she was unfazed by his comment. She knew the type, and how to wear him down.

"What about? The weather?"

"Doctor Verhoff, if you worry what I might tell about you, you should know that I have been close to Barnabas Collins. Real close."

"And you want to get real close to me, too?"

"I mean, I have been around him. I have written stories that are connected to him. We have a good working relationship, him and I."

"And..?"

"I could write about you without letting on what your secret is. No one will suspect that you knew Freud personally. Just say that you found some papers, diary from an uncle, or something..."

He nodded "So that's it. You want to write about Sigmund."

"So they were right. You _did_ know him."

"Miss Falchi, I did, indeed, know Sigmund. I knew him real well. And I will not peddle his name to a sensation seeker like yourself. I have read what you pathetically call journalism, and I don't want Sigmund's name displayed in those places. Those memories are precious to me."

"I know what magazines you speak of. I don't write for them. I was thinking of a "New Yorker" piece."

"It is not good enough for Sigmund. Now, if you forgive me, I am a busy man."

And not wanting to have her tailing him, he turned into a bat and flew away.

"Stuck up bastard." Oriana muttered. "never mind. I will get that story one way or the other."

* * *

Liz held Carolyn close to her. "Carolyn it is time for me to go."

"No! Not now!

"I am in pain, Carolyn, and it gets worse."

"Mother.." Carolyn's voice begged Liz not to say the next thing."

"It is all right, Carolynn. Call Barnabas. He'll know what to do."

Carolyn shook her head. "I don't want to lose you again."

"You will have to, Carolyn."

"Not today, Mother, not today."

* * *

"Barnabas, there is something that I want to ask you." Julia said ' Do not discuss it with Verhoff."

"Why?"

"Because in this I do not trust him. Try to find from Cecily the name of any of Verhoff's patients that does studies in chemistry and or physiology. Anybody who can make use of my notes."

"Julia, if you explain yourself at the beginning, I will make better sense of you."

"There may be a way to help those childish bodies grow up. I cannot imagine what it is like being frozen like that, in bodies that do not change. That's what I thought about the time you aged as a result of my treatments. We did not pursue it, but I think that if they fine tune the treatment they might, if not recover from their vampire state, at least get more mature bodies."

"But you don't want to give it to Verhoff? Why?"

"Because I recognize his professional deformation. He does not want her patients to get that well, because then they would not need him. He needs to feel important, and it is to their expense... I have seen it Barnabas. I was accused of not caring for my patients, only seeing them as specimens. I was guilt of that. But what Verhoff has is worse. If he got hold of my notes, he'd destroy them. But you talk to Cecily. Do not tell her about it. Just say that you want to know what studies the children make... There must be some of them who do study it. Get me a name, and address, and I will write to him or her, and mail him the safe deposit key where I will put a copy of my notes. I made several of them. They'll be glad to have the chance to grow up. They will do the research and get the results. "

"And Cecily might one day have a woman's body, and will not need to kowtow to Verhoff."

"Yes. You see why Verhoff has to know nothing of this."


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

There were ways to track somebody down, specially if you got friends all over the country who could do the research for you. And for some of it, she could count on Amy's help, now that she was doing part-time work at the local newspaper.

And the beauty of it was that she could do the research while Verhoff was sleeping like a baby, unaware that like it or not, he was going to provide her with a magazine article.

"Why are you so interested in this Verhoff?" Amy asked her.

"It is a matter of historical research. It has to do with Sigmund Freud. This guy knew him and he will not give me what I want. But I think that I can convince him to."

"How do you plan to do that?"

'Oh, there are ways."

"And you want whatever I can find on him, is that it?"

"Yes. And I will be forever grateful to you. And I mean it."

"Hmmm. I imagine that it will serve me as training."

"Yes. It will."

"And you'll owe me, later on."

"That's the idea."

Then, that business being taken care of, they could get down to the personal level.

"So it didn't work out between you and Barnabas." Amy said.

"No. I guess that he waned to get more serious than I could afford, so..."

"I guess more or less the same thing happened to Chris and Sandy."

"You mean they split up?"

"Yes. They did. Chris is alone again. And, as you can expect, he gets possessive with me. It is a bitch to have a brother old enough to be your father. I wish he found someone again.

* * *

"No, it is not this, either." Xavier said, discouraged.

"But this one has a box-like shape like the one we saw."

"The dimensions are wrong. And in this one you can see something like tail fins."

"But still it is the one that looks more like it. And remember, this is not a photo. It is an artist's rendition from a description. Probably the man who saw it was mistaken about the tail fins."

"Maybe." Xavier was not convinced.

Sandy hoped that the would not want to go through the file again. It was quite large and she did not feel like reviewing it right now.

It must have taken quite a long time for Xavier to put this file together.. And he was doing it for free. The dedication this must have taken...

"I guess that we'll have to accept this one temporarily, then. If only I was sure that it was flames that I saw around it..."

* * *

"Carolyn, come here."

Carolyn came to her mother's side. "Don't ask that of me." she begged again.

Liz shook her head. "One more day, Carolyn." she took Carolyn's face in her hands. "My baby, it has to be."

"Please, mother."

Liz moved one hand behind her daughter's neck and pulled it to the side. Then she flashed her fangs...

"Mother..." Carolyn protested, as Liz drank. Then she fell under her influence.

"I am sorry Carolyn. Go and call Barnabas."

* * *

Elsa pouted at him.

"I see that you haven't forgiven me yet, for not having bitten you." Barnabas said, good-humoredly.

"I can't understand why you don't want me."

"I told you. You are too young."

"I am not! Everyone says that I am too advanced for my age!"

"Your body says otherwise."

"I am old enough to know what I want."

"What you want. I see. he thought about it. "look into my eyes, Elsa."

"Why, there is no need. I want it and..."

"Look into my eyes, Elsa." he caught her head and made her look at him."

He held her now.

"Elsa, listen to me...Sarah... your name was once Sarah, wasn't it?"

"Yes. It was."

"You once asked me not to call you Sarah. You said that you had to grow up and learn all that Sarah never did. Do you remember?"

"I remember, but..."

"I saw this girl, Cecily. She's older than I am, but she still has this little girl body. Like yours. She will never have a woman's body, even if she is a woman. She can't get herself treated as a woman, loved as a woman." he hugged Elsa "that was I did not want to touch you nor any other child.; I know, you do not want to be called a child. Ever as Sarah you did not want to be called a child. And even less she wanted to remain a child. You don't want that either. Give your body time and one day you will be grown up. and maybe by then I will not be so important to you."

"You will always be important to me."

"Other things are important too. You will have to discover them."

"I don't want to."

"Sarah, please. You know what I mean."

'No, I don't."

"You know better, Sarah. What did you tell me that you had to do?"

"That I had to grow up. she admitted.

"Then grow up. That's all I ask of you. Be patient. and don't make me lecture you like this again."

Alma came into the room.

"Barnabas, Carolyn is here. She's looking for you. She says that Liz wants you to come, and you know what that means."

* * *

"What is eating you, little sister?" Chris asked Amy.

"It is that favor that Oriana asked of me."

"You don't want to do it?"

"It is not hard to do. I got the information easily enough. And I don't mind doing it for her. She is a friend and..."

"And she can help you with your career." Chris said with a half-cynical smile.

"Yes."

"So, what's the trouble?"

"I have this feeling that she may be getting into trouble and then..." he hesitated.

"You took out the card and you did not like the spread."

'I know that you don't like them."

"It is not that I don't like them. For a while I was afraid that you thought that you could make a living out of them. I wanted you to go to college and have a career. Now you want it too, so I no longer have any objections to them. What did the cards say?"

"It is very odd. I keep getting all kinds of weird distributions. No figures, except for a Pope every now and then. Swords. The Ace of Cups, which in this deck is represented as having a building inside the cup. And sometimes the Sun... I got to thinking that the Sun is the only card with children in it... I don't know why that scares me. Sometimes clubs. Sometimes cups. Pips all of them. And once I got the Judgment card next to the Sun.

"The sun. And corpses rising... it might mean Barnabas."

"You mean that Barnabas could be in danger?"

Chris made a face. "Make a spread for him, instead of Oriana. Maybe we'll know more that way."

* * *

Barnabas knew why Liz had called him. He had made her a promise, and he would keep it.

It would be silver bullets. He had discussed it with Liz and she had agreed. It would be quick enough that way. And the body would not be so mangled as it could be with a stake. Sunlight was out of the question. Not after what Roxanne had told them.

Carolyn was weeping openly when he came int. "Don't do this, please."

"She wants me to."

"But I don't want it!" Carolyn said stubbornly, reminding Barnabas of the spoiled child she used to be.

"Do you want her to suffer?"

"I want... I want..."

"You want things to be as they once were. I know. I have been there, too. But it just can't be done."

"Why couldn't we have more time?"

"I don't know. But I know that at least you got some of it."

"It isn't fair."

"It never is, Carolyn." he took her by the shoulders "I know how bad it is for you. It is even worse for your mother. Won't you make it easier?"

"How? By helping you kill her?"

He kissed Carolyn's forehead "I will help you." he said "both of you. You know that it is no kindness to allow her to go on. It is almost as bad as what my father did do me. How can you be so cruel as that?"

"I... I am not." she reluctantly said.

"Then let me come in."

Liz stood up, straight, even if she had to support herself against a bookcase. "Did you bring it with you?" she asked.

"Yes."

"Good."

Carolyn was weeping. "It will be all right, Carolyn." Liz said softly 'Leave us alone now."

There was raw pain in Carolyn's eyes. She embraced her mother once more, fiercely, then left the room.

Liz smiled at him. "Ready when you are." she said.

He took out the gun. She did not flinch.

"You can't miss me at that distance."

"No." she was in control of the situation. He understood it. She did not have much. She could have this at least, this gesture of refusing a blindfold.

"Liz" he said softly "I wish I could give you more than this."

"I know."

He shot her.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

"It isn't fair."

She had said it dozens of time already. She said it once more.

"We had so little time."

Julia put a hand on Carolyn's shoulder. "Life is like that, Carolyn."

Vicky stayed a bit behind, feeling awkward. She was sorry for Liz and Carolyn, a bit. But she was angry too. And relieved. The procedure that Verhoff had spoken about would not be needed. Her baby would be healthy.

And there would have been no problem if Carolyn had told her mother to keep away from her. After all, Liz had not touched Carolyn, and not touched Edmund. But a pregnant Vicky was not that important.

Roger had fed the maids to Liz. True, they had not been harmed, but still he had disposed of them as if they were chattel. They were only the help.

And she was only the help. The Collins could be pleasant, and do nice things for her, when it was not too much trouble. Or when they recalled something called _noblesse oblige_. But they were of a different species than the villagers, and a different species than the servants.

She had been a fool, lost in her dreams of being a princess secretly raises by peasants (and how many girls believe that nonsense...). She had come to Collinwood expecting the old fairy tale come true. She had looked at the charmed circle where the Collinses lived, and dreamed of the day she would be admitted as one of them.

That never happened. They had deceived her. Or rather she had deceived herself.

She was only the help. No more, no less. A servant, like Beth Tignor, or Lucile Staszak, And she'd better plan her future based on that knowledge.

She would talk with Carolyn. But not now. When she was less angry. When she could get the best settlement she could for her and her child.

Carolyn tuned to her venomously "I bet that you are glad that she is dead.." She said venomously.

"Carolyn..." Julia tried to calm her.

"Oh, Julia, why did this have to happen? I close my eyes and I see her lying on the ground, lying in a pool of blood, and Barnabas standing there, saying nothing, the gun in his hand..."

Julia did not answer this. Carolyn had yet to learn how to deal with her grief. She had lost her mother twice, and the second time for real. Time was the only thing that would help her.

The funeral was a short one. Trask had a few moving words to say about the long-time mistress of Collinwood. More or less the same words the had said at the other funeral, weeks ago, but nobody seemed to notice (or, if they did, they were too polite to point it out.)

Carolyn's mouth was twisted with bitterness. The first funeral had been held at night so that Barnabas could attend. Now it was held in the daytime. Barnabas would have no place among the mourners.

Julia wondered if this action was only a momentary bitterness on Carolyn's part, or if it was the beginning of another feud with Barnabas, like the one she had carried for years. She hoped not. It had been unpleasant enough then.

She spoke a few words of comfort. Carolyn nodded, but it was clear that she was not listening.

"She is not in pain anymore."

Carolyn glared and Julia knew that she had said the wrong thing. Unbearable pain had been the reason that Barnabas had given for shooting Liz. Carolyn could not forget it. She could not forgive it.

The other mourners shook her hand. She accepted their sympathy graciously, as mistress of Collinwood. Behind her, Roger did the same. He looked older, as if his sister's death had destroyed half his life.

* * *

She was going to get the story, after all. Serve that stuck-up Verhoff right. Serve Barnabas right, acting like it was all her fault. HE had been the one who had ignored her when Willie was in the hospital. The relationship had not worked and just because she had gotten her Munsungan piece did not mean that he did not owe her more stories. Specially this juicy Freud piece.

Her contacts had paid off. She had Verhoff's address. And Verhoff was in Collinsport. Even if he left town tomorrow, she would have a good headstart since she would leave in the daytime. She could find a way to sneak inside, and get enough evidence to convince him to cooperate.

* * *

Maybe Amy was wrong to worry about Oriana. Maybe it was just nerves, maybe just missing the excitement at Collinsport.

Chris Jennings, don't lie to yourself, - he chided himself - you know better. Amy keeps getting these cards in her spreads and her cards don't lie. You believe in them, all right.

Either Oriana was in danger or Barnabas was. And he had to help. Barnabas would do no less for him.

But what could the danger be? And how was Ms Falchi involved? Had she come with a new story that could cut Barnabas' throat while earning her a Pulitzer Prize? She had come close to that before, in that shopping center story.

He still had a gun. And he had a good idea of where Oriana might be going. Amy had given her the address, after all.

* * *

'Oriana left town early in the morning" George told Barnabas.

"Much to your relief. I imagine." Barnabas said, smiling.

George blushed. "I know that you two are done with. But I feel threatened by her."

"And by Iris. And by Vicky. And by Angelique."

"I know I shouldn't. But I guess it is something that I cannot share with you. It is a way of being unfaithful that I am incapable of, even if I wanted to."

"I've had lovers before you.; And you've had lovers before me."

George shook his head.. "It is not the same... Look, if I am unfaithful with a man, I will come back. But if you are unfaithful with a woman, you might decide that you like women better. You can go straight again, and leave me behind... You can compete with the men I might be attracted to. I can't compete with women."

Barnabas sighed. "George we have had this conversation other times. And I am not in the mood for it now."

"I am sorry. Wrong time."

"It is Liz. I knew that it was coming. I knew that it was best for her. Still it gets me."

George did not answer. He held Barnabas to him, close, stroking the back of his head and kissing him gently.

And maybe that was the answer, why Barnabas clung to him. Because he was somebody in whose arms he could cry.

They were lying now side by side, Liz's death was still a wound, but one that would heal, that was healing already.

"George have you thought of making it permanent for the both of us?" he touched George's throat with his fingertips, tracing the vein under it.

George remembered Megan's warning. But how tell him, bluntly that he was too accident prone, too likely to get himself killed to consider anything permanent with him?"

"You do want this?" He tried to stall. "I thought you could not stand the thought of it."

"The other ones were accidents. And I had help. With Megan it was a bad reaction to Julia's drugs. With Dirk it was Laura's draining his life force beforehand. With Roxanne, it was Angelique. I never wanted either for them to be... infected. I wanted to with Josette, but she preferred to jump off Widow's Hill. That soured me on the idea for a long time... But now I am thinking about it again."

"I would have to leave my job here. And I do not know that much about your...world. What it is like outside of Collinsport. And I expect you don't much either."

"You are right. I do not know much about my world. Maybe Verhoff will help me understand more of what I am and what I can expect."


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Adam put the torch on the wall of the cave. It was kind of like the cell where Barnabas had once kept him. It would do.

"You plan to bring Quentin in here?" Angelique asked him.

She was reluctant to do this. But Adam had impressed on her that she owed him. and Adam had also something that she wanted, so she had to pay for it.

"I will have to hold him somewhere. I wish that I could put Barnabas here, so that he'd know how it feels like."

"He knows. Worse than this."

"We will need Carl Collins' help. It tried to summon him, but I think that I did it wrong."

Angelique hesitated. But Carl Collins could not touch Barnabas and she would arrange so that it stayed that way. As for Quentin, well, she could do something about that, too.

"I can raise Carl for you." she said.

"Good. All that I need now is the portrait to work on. And Quentin to see what results it has. A sort of guinea pig."

"What do you know of Quentin's portrait?"

"Quite a bit. You see, it was not the only portrait that Tate painted."

"You know of another one?"

"I do" And his tone made it clear that he did not wish to discuss it further.

* * *

She was at the address now. She had been knocking at the door, but no one answered. She had tried phoning in, with the same results If there was someone inside, that someone was in a deep sleep.

In a way, it was frustrating. On the other hand it meant that she risked little interference when she got it.

It would be breaking and entering, of course. But she doubted that Verhoff would want to prosecute.

And she would get an exclusive story about Sigmund Freud...

Now, as to how to get in... well, she had learned something along the way, hadn't she?

* * *

Vicky packed her bags. She had to leave Collinwood. Leave before Carolyn fired her. It was better for her pride if she was the one slamming the door.

Her anger was not longer white hot. But it was there. She owed nothing to Carolyn Collins, nor to any other Collins (except for Barnabas, of course, but then he was not part of the charmed circle anymore). They owed her, and she would not let Carolyn's temper tantrums make her forget it.

She thought again of Phillip... What would he say if he knew how he had put his child at risk? He was probably dead... like all men that she dealt with... But if she could keep the baby, then it she would have rescued something of the wreckage of her life.

She had to go back to Barnabas. But she preferred not to. He too was mourning Liz, and this was a pain that she did not want to exacerbate by her presence. She could go to the hotel, and pay it back by her work. There was plenty of work that could be done sitting down.. Or stay with the Loomises, with a promise to pay them back when she found work.

She had to get out of Collinwood. She had to leave behind her foolish dreams of being secretly a princess. She was not, She was a working stiff, like most of the people around her. She had to earn her keep, and not see it as a disgrace, but as a right...

She was no longer a foolish child. She was a grown woman and had to behave like one.

She went down the stairs, carrying her bag. There were other things that she might have to come back for. But they could wait. She had to cross the door, breathe the clean air outside and wipe her feet as she left.

She did not belong in Collinwood. She never did.

Carolyn was looking at her, as she came down. Vicky did not address her. She waited until Carolyn fired the first salvo.

"So you are leaving, are you?" She said, acidly.

"Yes. This is not a healthy environment for my child."

"You wanted my mother dead..."

"If you have bothered to warn her not to touch a pregnant woman, and not to endanger a child in the womb as she did, none of this would have been necessary. Why didn't you tell her not to?"

"I...I thought..."

"You did not care. I see. I am not fully human. I am only a servant, and you can dispose of me and my unborn child as you wish. Well, I have had enough of you and your aristocratic family. I am going to make my own way."

Carolyn looked at her stupefied. Vicky dared to judge her! Did she know who she was talking to?"

"You better get ready the settlement you want to make before I up the amount in exchange not to sue you."

And before Carolyn answered, she went out the door.

* * *

Well, she was now guilty of breaking and entering. But you can't make an omelet without breaking eggs. she thought that no one had seen her get in. And she hoped that there were no human caretakers around.

It was a risk worth taking. And she had told Amy Jennings where she would be. If anything happened to her, Amy would tell it to Barnabas. No matter how estranged they were, Barnabas still cared for her.

But there was no one inside. Either Verhoff had no caretaker or whoever it was had gone to Collinsport too.

She found the desk easily. There were papers there. Textbooks. She lifted one of them. Published in the last century. And written in German (or was it Austrian?) language She caught the dedicatory. To Siegfried Verhoff, Signed by Sigmund Freud.

And it was genuine. She had seen samples of the handwriting. She held her breath as a tingly feeling crept up her spine. She laid the book down and photographed the dedication.

There were other papers. She tried to read them, but they were in German, too. And probably, even if they were in English, she would not be able to read them. Verhoff might well be addicted to the jargon laid down and codified by the old man himself.

Probably the files had case histories, but again, they would not be in English. And before she started digging them out she would look around to see if there was something else around that she could use against Verhoff.

* * *

If Amy was right, it was at this address. He hoped that Amy was wrong, that there was no danger stalking Barnabas. Better to find out that he had wasted his time and gas.

By the way, how was Barnabas doing these days? He was out of touch. He did not know if Barnabas had gone back to Iris. Or was Iris still in Wyncliffe?

Maybe Sandy had managed to seduce him, after all. She always wanted Barnabas...

He wondered if Barnabas and Sandy would have a future together.

Well, that would be for later to worry about. First he had to make sure that Barnabas was all right.

* * *

There were coffins all over the floor. In spite of herself Oriana gasped. This was just a vampire colony...

And the coffins were so small... they must be midgets... or children.

She moved closer. It could not be.. but... She lifted the lid of the one closer to her.

It was a boy. A freckle-faced innocent boy. His eyes were closed and his face was expressionless. Little fang points peeked from under his upper lip.

She wanted him fascinated. A vampire child. How old could he be? How could such a child exist? How could it happen?

There was a larger coffin, almost adult sized. She went to it, wanting to know how old the occupant could be.

Something cracked under her foot and she was yanked upwards.

She screamed, more in surprise than in pain. She was caught in a net and hoisted high up in the air.

Caught. No wonder there were no caretakers. The place was booby trapped. Any intruder would be captured and...

And what would they do to her once they woke up?

She fought down panic remembering that she had once been equally helpless waiting for a vampire to wake up, and it had turned out all right. And these, after all, were kids.

Still, for how long would she have to wait, hanging there? She would soon be getting bored, not to mention hungry and thirsty. True, waiting for Barnabas to wake up had been more uncomfortable.

The sun was quite high in the horizon. She would have to wait quite a bit, then.

She could not free herself from the net. It was metal, not chance of breaking it. She had just to be patient, then. And hope that the adult in the large coffin would listen to reason.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

The lock had been forced. He shook his head. Coincidence? The beginning of the trouble? Chris could not tell. He still wished that Amy was wrong, but he was beginning to think that she was not.

Just as he was beginning to have a life away from Collinsport and all its crazy people...

Never mind that, technically, he was one of Collinsport's crazy people. He craved normality. A well adjusted life, a family...

A family eluded him. He was sterile. He had made himself so. He had thought of adopting, but it was difficult for an unattached man to do that. It was hard enough for established married couples, what chance did he have?

If him and Sabrina had stayed together, he would have been able to accept Sabrina's baby. He might well have been the one to suggest artificial insemination to her.

But what was the use? It was too late now to patch up their differences. Sabrina had gone too far for him, and deciding whose fault it was would not change anything. Sabrina had her career. She had her child. And he did have his freedom and his chance to start over.

Sandy... well, he knew what it had been. A consolation prize for her. But it was better than being alone, moping for Sabrina. He wondered what was the wrong choice he had made along the way...

Well, there would be time to philosophize later. Now he had something more important to do. He reached for his gun, he may well need it. Even if it was an ordinary burglar who had broken he lock, he could be dangerous. Natural or supernatural, whatever threat was there would not catch him off guard.

He found the desk, as Oriana had done. He also found the book and the dedication in it.

If it was a burglar, he had not gotten here, which was one of the fist place they looked, in case there was loose cash or checks lying around. Or maybe it was a particularly neat burglar. And one unaware of the value of such a book.

Not burglars then. Maybe something worse.

And did he hear screams? They seemed to come from upstairs.

Gun in hand he ran up the stairs, the sounds becoming stronger as he did so.

He opened the door and saw Oriana hanging inside a net.

"Chris!" she said with relief. "It is you. I recognized your footsteps.. say, what are you doing here?"

Chris shook his head. "Amy said you might be in trouble. Or Barnabas. Don't worry, I'll get you out of there." he looked around. But they way, what are these?"

"Child vampires. Never mind. Get me out of here.

"Child vampires? How?'"

"The same way adult vampires are made, I guess. Someone drinks too much of their blood, which, given their small size, is easier to do."

Chris remembered now Amy's spreads. The dead rising from the graves. And the Sun card, the only card that featured children...

"Just help me out of here." Oriana insisted.

"All right." he took out his penknife and tried to decide how to attack the net..

Then something snapped under his foot, and he was yanked up...

* * *

Carl looked at him with childish awe. "Why would you want to help me?' he asked Adam.

"I have reasons of my own." Adam began to shrug, but could not complete it. There was something endearing about Carl. And he had to tell his story to someone. Carl would keep the secret, so would Angelique, bound by the ethics of her new found profession.

"Quentin's was not the only portrait that Charles painted. There was mine, too. I had this affliction and he wanted to remove it. I had gotten sick and I he was afraid that I would die. So he painted the portrait... he was a lonely old man" he grimaced "I seem to be good company for lonely old people."

"And this portrait that Tate painted, is it the same as it is with Quentin's?" This time it was Angelique who asked.

"As far as I can tell, yes. He warned me of what could happen. He talked about other things. About Petofi, that he had not died in the fire... he talked a lot while I listened, ran errands for him, and did him all kinds of little services. He thought of adopting me. Not that he had much to leave me. as I said, he was reduced to painting groceries. Still lifes, he called them. We filled the pantry that way, and sometimes the painting sold and we had some more money. He was my father, not Barnabas."

Carl's face contorted angrily at hearing Barnabas' name. "I can't touch Barnabas now." he said plaintively "I can go after Quentin, but not Barnabas."

Angelique refrained from replying that Barnabas had paid, even if Carl seemed to think that it was not enough. She decided that whatever deal was arranged with Carl, Barnabas would not be part of it.

"What happened to Charles?" she asked.

"Chris Jennings killed him. Not his fault. It was the werewolf curse that he inherited from Quentin. No I'd rather Quentin paid for it."

"Yes. It was Quentin's fault" Carl said with animation. "I once had Barnabas in my power, not by myself alone, but I had him. I will have Quentin, and he will pay for what he did to me and to others. He was the one who betrayed me. Tell me, can't I get Barnabas, too?" he asked, pleadingly.

"We'll see about that." Angelique said, noncommittally.

* * *

"Damn it!" Chris said with irritation. "Metal. I should have seen it."

Oriana's hands pulled at the net holding her. "What now?" she asked.

"Now we wait, and hope that we can talk them into letting us go."

He growled and changed shape. One of his legs fell through the mesh as he began trying to chew at the net.

"You'll break your teeth." Oriana said.

He growled and changed shape again. "So what do you suggest that we do. Wait for them to wake up?"

"Don't seem much else we can do."

"But can't ... they..."

"They are just children."

"Yes. They are just children." he said with annoyance. "You think that they are going to be like Barnabas? No way. They are going to be dangerous. They are not adults, you can't reason with them. And you can't turn them over your knee and spank them, either. They are stronger than any of us. We are in trouble."

"But they area children..."

"How can you be so stupid?" he shouted at her. "You break into a place that you know houses at least one vampire, get caught in a trap, and still can't figure out how dangerous it is!"

He took out his gun again. Useless against the children. "I did not even think of bringing silver bullets. We are just sitting ducks. I don't know which one of us is dumber. you getting caught like this, or me, forgetting basic precautions. Or Amy getting it wrong. Damn it, it was the Sun card! Why couldn't she have figured out what it meant?""

"You want me to say that I am sorry I caused this? I did not ask you to come, you know."

"You just assumed that somebody would."

"Well.."

"You think that because you got published in the 'New Yorker' you are so special that nothing can happen to you. You think that everyone will react as Barnabas did. Well, wake up, lady. They are a lot more like my late brother Tom, if I guess them right."

He tugged at the netting. it was better than human caretakers who could get sick, drunk, or play betray you. At least the traps were not lethal. Maybe it was a good sign. And maybe they preferred to make a meal out of intruders."

"Stop!"

"Don't have any illusions about them. Have you ever seen children tormenting an animal? We are like that to them.."

"Verhoff would not allow it."

"Do you see him around? Do you see anyone who could possibly restrain them? Oh, what I get myself into..."

"I am sorry."

"Well, so am I. Sorry that I ever listened to Amy with her cards and her hunches, and...

There was a sound below them. They looked down... the coffins were opening.

"They... they are coming out." she whispered.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Children, both boys and girls, of different sizes, the youngest looking about three, the oldest thirteen, were in the room. Their eyes were shiny and their teeth sharp. They looked hungry. And they did not look really like children. They were serious, even grim. Someone had played a nasty trick o0n their childhoods.

"Who are you?: the thirteen year old girl asked them, while keeping the other children at a distance with a gesture. Some of them playfully made lunges at them. The cruelty of childhood. Chris shivered.

"I wanted to meet Dr. Verhoff" Oriana said. "I had something to discuss with him."

Cecily's eyes narrowed "You should have made an appointment. And what is that?" she pointed to the camera still hanging form Oriana's shoulder.

"A camera. I am a reporter."

"You came here to get evidence against us? You wanted to blackmail him and us. Well, did you like what you found?"

"I only wanted an interview."

"A camera, with indoor flash. Did you take any photos of us?"

"No! I didn't!"

"You didn't have time." Cecily's eyes shone dangerously "Now you'll never have the chance."

"What do you want to do with us?" Chris asked.

Cecily looked at him. "We'd be within our rights to kill you. But we do not want to set a bad example for the children. We will just make sure that you don't tell." She drew up her lips "You'll merely change. Change is not so terrible, and you'll have grown up bodies, which is something we never will. You'll manage. And you won't be able to blackmail anyone."

"Please don't. We promise not to tell."

Chris wondered whether or not to identify himself as a werewolf. Maybe that would get him off the hook. But it would not get Oriana off the hook. They knew better than to allow a reporter to get out of their house untouched. No matter how much Oriana had asked for it, he could not abandon her."

"Wait!" he shouted at them. "Barnabas Collins will not like it."

Cecily looked surprised. "You know Barnabas Collins?"

"I am his friend. And she's his mistress."

"His mistress?" Cecily looked at Oriana. "is that true?"

"Why do you think she was so careless approaching vampires?"

"Who is this Barnabas Collins?" a little girl of seven asked. "How do we know he exists?"

"He exists." Cecily said. "He was here. Don't you remember him?"

"Can he be trusted?"

"He's rather sentimental, but yes, he can be trusted. He is one of us."

"Maybe he wants his mistress to join him in his life. Or does he want to do it himself?"

"He won't like it if you interfere with his plans for us." Chris said, more boldly than he felt.

"You say that she is his mistress?" And what proof do you offer of that.?"

"He must have spoken of me. Christopher Jennings? Amy Jennings? Tom Jennings?""

"Which one are you, Chris or Tom? You certainly can't be Amy." A boy said.

"I am Christopher Jennings. Amy is my sister. Tom was my brother. I'll show you my ID. I came here because my sister believed that Barnabas was in danger. I came here to protect him.:"

Cecily studied his ID. "You know" she said to the children. "It might be true after all."

"It might not be." a little girl growled.

"We will give them a chance to prove it. We can hold them in the basement. I talked with Verhoff and he said that he was coming back and Barnabas with him.

The nets were lowered. They were released and seized by the children. Their small hands were incredibly strong. Their wrists were bound together in front of them with wire, and so were their ankles, this time with more slack to allow them to hobble.

They took them to the basement.

"You will not be very comfortable here." Cecily said "but you can manage. If you told the truth, if Barnabas Collins will vouch for you,, then you may be released. If not..." she shrugged and the continued. "We will bring you food here. With your hands bound, you can still care for yourselves. There is a toilet at the corner, and it can be used. Barnabas will be here today, close to dawn. Or tomorrow at the latest."

Cecily went up the stairs. The accommodations as she said, were not pleasant. But those who used them were even less. She used herself as bait for pimps and would be pimps looking for fresh teenage "talent" Once here, they were used by the children until their minds were weakened enough. Then given as caretaker to any of the children striking out on his or her own... No more than they deserved, in her opinion...

* * *

"You must realize that things are more difficult for them" Verhoff was pontificating again., as Barnabas listened, thinking about what Julia had told her about Verhoff, and about what he had to find out. "As children they cannot cash checks or drive. Making money become very difficult for them. Their caretakers have to front for them in all those activities... Caretakers, unless kept on a tight leash might seek to exploit them.. And they are ready to exploit since they start life as pimps until they are lured by Cecily or any other potential fresh talent. Exploiting others weaker than themselves comes naturally to them, so the children have to be firm with them.. And they are nicer to them than the caretakers were to the kids they enslaved for sex."

"So you are providing a public service? Cutting down their n umbers and putting the fear of God on the other ones?"

"Cecily enjoys this, more than I. But it is personal with her. She has me go looking for teenage prostitutes, getting them in my car, and taking them to Covenant House or similar places. Doing her bit to make the world a better place."

"I can se that. How many child vampires are there?"

"Too many if you ask me. I figure that one in eighty is a child. Or rather trapped in a child's body, barred from adult activities unless it is in private. And that does not count the ones that are too young."

"You kill those, don't you?"

"We have to. They are just too young to process what has happened to them, and cannot learn to manage on their own. Some do not know how to talk, or to walk on two feet., and will never be able to. It is better for them that way."

* * *

They had sandwiches and drinking water. As Cecily had said, they would manage. The wires around their wrists and ankles were not very comfortable, but it was not intolerable.

"Very efficient." Chris said. "I suppose that we are not the first ones that they hold here."

A good thing that no mention had been made of his lycanthropy. They might be listening, and if they found out they would use more adequate restraints for him.

He would wait until dawn, and if Barnabas was not there by then, he would change into a wolf, let the wires fall off his thin paws, release Oriana, and then turn into a half-wolf to use the strength of that form to break the door.

Then they would have to tread carefully to avoid other booby traps, but they would make it to the front door, which he would also break, and then they would be free.

Of course, Barnabas could get here before dawn, but he doubted it. With all the snow and ice on the road, they'd be driving slowly, and there might be a couple of accidents to slow them down further...

Once they were out, he would have a long talk with Oriana about taking unnecessary chances.

Oriana was thinking along the same lines. He was right. She had gotten way above her head. Still, in the middle of her fear he curiosity was aroused. Child vampires. What was it like to be a child trapped in a vampire body? Or a vampire trapped into a childish body? What needs did they have that they could not satisfy properly? Their family was gone, beginning again with strangers...

And then the years passed...

How old were the children, in fact? She was sure that the thirteen year old was not a child at all. Except that her body was that of a child...

"Chris, how old you think they really are?"

Chris shook her head. "Difficult to tell. I think that once they transform, they are stuck in that shape..."

"And that means..."

"That means that unless Barnabas convinced to let us go, they have no reason to release us. They are doubly freaks. They have too much to lose if we are set free."


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

The food must have been drugged...

Chris realized that at he woke up and was aware that it was afternoon, late in the afternoon...He could see the lengthening shadow as it came from the small opining that allowed light in.

They were not taking any chances...

Well, he had to make up for lost time.

He shifted shape quick enough, letting his bindings fall off. He shook Oriana who made a few protesting noises for a few moments, until she was awake again.

"They made us sleep..."

"Yes. We wasted a lot of time. But we can still make it."

He switched to his halfway shape, to take advantage of its strength and sharp claws and teeth, while still holding opposable thumbs. He managed to tear up the wires from Oriana's wrists and ankles, helping her stand.

Now they had to deal with the door.. They had nothing that they could use to pick the lock. They had to batter it down. Or rather Chris had to batter it down.

That took some time, but eventually the door gave up, and they were able to go up the stairs.

"Look where you step. You do not want to trigger another booby trap" Chris told her.

There were indeed a couple of them in the stairs. But now they knew what they had to look for. That meant that they had to go up slowly (how many captives who had managed to undo their bindings, had rushed out and been recaptured that way? Probably more than one.)

And the sun kept going down...

They made it to the main floor. "If we make it to the desk it will be all right." Oriana said. "We only need to retrace my steps to get back to the front door."

They kept looking at the floor. Along the way they saw Oriana's purse, Chris' wallet, and Chris' gun.

"We need to retrieve these." Oriana said.

"Very likely they are triggers for booby traps. Think about it. The captive escapes, manages to go up the stairs, and then, there is the temptation to get the wallet or the purse."

"Yes. But that's where our car keys are."

Chris grumbled but recognized that she was right.

""Go downstairs again. Get the wires they used to bind us with. We'll turn them into hooks."

She went down, carefully, checking again for the booby trap triggers. She was down in the basement and picked the wires.

The shadows were lengthening again...

She wished she could rush up, but that was dangerous. She walked up carefully and got to Chris. They worked at straightening the wires, and made a hook at the end. The laid a chair down, and shielded themselves with it, and then fished for the purse and wallet...

It seemed to take forever until it was hooked. Chris pulled at his wallet.

And the net came, pulling it up.

But the wallet fell through, and Chris could pull it to his side.

He did the same with the gun, which triggered another net.

And the purse.

The shadows kept lengthening...

How much time this had cost them?

At least once they got to the desk they knew how to get to the door, as Oriana had said. This time they raced for it.

"I can pick the lock again," Oriana aid, rummaging in her purse. "No need to batter it down."

She sat down and worked the lock. It had seemed so quick coming in. But now... Now it seemed to take forever...

One tumbler fell. Another...

It was dark already.

Another tumbler...

"Yu made it this far. But no farther."

The children were there...

Chris pushed Oriana behind her. "Try to make a cross out of anything" he said to her.

There was a gasp among the children as Chris became a wolf and snarled at them.

He walked menacingly towards the children, determined to give as good as a he took. And the children sensing this, moved away.

"Why didn't you tell us what you were?' Cecily said, then she looked at Oriana. "I see. You wanted to protect her."

One little boy threw himself at Oriana. Oriana managed to catch him in mid-air with her extended arm, and Chris caught his leg with his teeth. He threw him across the room.

Chris felt bad. It was a child. And what would a werewolf bite do to him? Didn't the kid have enough problems already?"

The other kids seemed to think about it too. They kept their distance from hem, even as they formed a semicircle.

Oriana had fashioned a cross. She showed it to the children, and was shocked to find that they did not react to it...

"But it should work." she said, dumbfounded.

"No reason why it should, really" Cecily said. "There is much that you do not know about us."

They were at a standoff. The children would not approach Chris as he snarled. But they could wait until he got careless, and then go for Oriana.

"Keep working on the door." Chris said to her.

She had dropped her tools, as she had fended the first attack and then fashioned the cross. She had to go on all fours, looking for them...

Time was against them... Had been against them from the start...

She found one of the tools. There was another that seemed to have rolled off. Too far from Chris' protection. But if she stretched herarm...

Her fingertips sought it, but it seemed to escape her.

"We can wait." Cecily said. "And what's so terrible about becoming what we are? You'll still have your woman's body. You'll still have your ID, your bank account, your credit cards, your car, your driver's license."

"No, no." She had to find that tool...

There was the sound of a car approaching. And she found the tool...

She straightened up and went to work on the lock.

And then the door opened and Barnabas and Verhoff came in.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

"What happened here?" The basic question had been asked, by either Verhoff or Barnabas, and the explanation had come, from Cecily, Chris, and Oriana, with the children adding its of their own.

"She is a trespasser, then." Verhoff said "a potential blackmailer."

Barnabas said nothing, thinking about his options.

"Are they your friends? Will you vouch for them?"

"I can... vouch for Chris."

"And her?"

Barnabas wished that he could say yes. He was fond of Oriana, they had gone through a lot together. Still, she was what she was, and given her profession, she was a danger to these children...

And he empathized with them. He knew Cecily. He knew some of the others. He was aware of what they had to face, and how hard it would be for them (even now that he had given them a glimmer of hope). Did he have the right to make it harder? They had trusted him and brought him into their confidence.

So what to do about Oriana? He could not let them harm her. But how else could she be made to keep silent about what she knew?

Chris had fought for her, and Chris had never been her lover. Could he do less?

But the children...

"Barnabas." Chris said accusingly "you did love her once."

Indeed, he had.

"Can you vouch for her?" Verhoff picked the camera that Cecily had retrieved "can you guarantee that she won't use what she knows?"

"I have a way of making sure."

"So can we. She can be enslaved as caretaker, and we always need those." Cecily said. " Or if that is distasteful to you , as it is to me, as I prefer pimps to give them a taste of their own medicine, we can convert her."

"No..."

"You can do the conversion yourself. I don't care to do those" Verhoff said. "And you probably will be gentler with her that we would."

"I was thinking of Wyncliffe. She could stay there a couple of months. With enough drugs she can be made to forget about vampires..."

"You would drug her? Do you know what kind of damage those drugs can do? Better to be converted, let me tell you." And that will keep her quiet for a while. She would eventually remember, and then would look for evidence. And we'd have to do this all over again. Do her the kindness of letting keep her mind in functioning order."

"We are the ones running the risk" Cecily said coldly "I can understand your getting sentimental about her, but she is dangerous to all of us and we have the right to protect ourselves."

"Not this way." he moved closer to her, only to be held back by the cross now held by Chris.

"Chris, let me have her. I am the only one who can get her out of here."

"Not this way.":

"I want to take her to Wyncliffe."

"They will not let you."

"I am trying to get her the best deal, You are not helping."

Cecily lunged at Chris. Chris turned to stop her, and as he turned, Barnabas caught Oriana and pulled him to her.

Oriana screamed.

"She goes to Wyncliffe." he said. "I will make myself responsible for her."

Cecily's eyes glinted dangerously She would have to deal with Barnabas too... and he was, unlike them, affected by crosses...

"No." Verhoff said coldly. "We cannot be sure. She will remember eventually. Didn't you tell me that Maggie remembered? And even if she forgets, she will know that there is a hole in her memory. She will investigate us again. She knows how to do it. You have done it before, and with less cause."

"Not deliberately, not willingly."

"She brought this on herself."

Yes. She had. He had been infuriated in the past by her self-centeredness and her belief that her story came first. Nobody had asked her to pry into Verhoff's affairs.

He realized that in other circumstances he would have backed her up enthusiastically, defending the freedom of the press and the public's right to know. But now she was threatening Verhoff's children. Protecting children admitted no compromise. Not even for her sake.

He better do it quickly, before he doubted himself again. He swept down her throat and bit hard into it, with a brutality that he had almost forgotten he possessed.

Chris gasped, but could not stop him. Oriana screamed and trashed,, trying to beat him off..

Her arm hit him over the eye, He moved his bead back, pulling out his teeth, and as he prepared to bite again, he saw her bare arm...

A wild idea came to him.

"Finish it!" the children hissed. "Finish it or let us have her!"

The children bared their fangs, their eyes glowing. They had not fed yet, and the smell of Oriana's blood excited them...

He ignored them and turned to Chris.

"Chris, did you scratch her?" he asked.

"Scratch her?"

"There are scratches on her arms, close to the wrists. And scratches on her legs too."

"Yeah. They had us tied with wire. I used my teeth to undo it and..." Suddenly he realized what Barnabas meant.

"Were you in wolf form?

"Wolf and half-wolf."

"They she is a werewolf now. Come next full moon she'll transform."

He turned to Verhoff "The problem is solved. She now has a secret of her won to protect. She cannot betray you without betraying herself."

"But she could get cured, she cold go to Julia Hoffman."

"Not if I forbid it. No. She will be a werewolf now. And she needs training on how to control her wolf."

Verhoff turned to Cecily and the children. He must preferred this solution. He was committed to teaching the children self-control, and letting them gang up on Oriana was not how they would learn it. "This is a solution" he said.

Cecily nodded "the werewolves can go. But they are not welcome here, and I hope they remember it."

She gave Oriana one last look of hatred. Why did she have a woman's body and all the privileges of adulthood while she was stuck in this body, in this role of dutiful daughter that she hated.

"Take her with you. And make sure she never comes back."

* * *

How will Oriana adjust to being a werewolf? What are Adam's plans for Quentin? What is Yolanda plotting? And what about the U.F.O. sightngs?

Stay tuned...


End file.
